<p><em>New episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for free, with 1-week early access for Wondery+ subscribers.</em></p> <p>---</p> <p>Kabat-Zinn on the nitty gritty practicalities of starting a practice, being fully present with no agenda, and letting go of "the story of me."</p> <p><br /></p> <p><a href="https://jonkabat-zinn.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Jon Kabat-Zinn,</a> PhD, is professor of medicine emeritus at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Back in the 1970s, he came up with something called Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, or MBSR, which is a secular way of teaching Buddhist meditation. He's written <a href="https://jonkabat-zinn.com/offerings/books/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">many books</a>, including <em>Full Catastrophe Living</em>; <em>Wherever You Go, There You Are</em>; and <em>Coming to Our Senses</em>. His latest book is called <em>Mindfulness Meditation for Pain Relief.</em></p> <p><br /></p> <p><br /></p> <p><strong>In this episode we talk about:</strong></p> <p><br /></p> <ul> <li>The nitty gritty practicalities of starting a practice</li> <li>How he's learned to be more relaxed about his practice—including advocating for meditating in bed </li> <li>How to practice being fully present with no agenda </li> <li>How investigating your motivations—something most people don't do— can help you be more mindful </li> <li>How to practice letting go of "the story of me"</li> </ul> <p><br /></p> <p><br /></p> <p><strong>Related Episodes:</strong></p> <p><br /></p> <p><a href="https://www.tenpercent.com/tph/podcast-episode/jon-kabat-zinn-580" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Tripping Out with a Legend: Jon Kabat-Zinn on Pain vs. Suffering, Rethinking Your Anxiety, and the Buddha's Teaching in a Single Sentence</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.tenpercent.com/tph/podcast-episode/jon-kabat-zinn-223" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Jon Kabat-Zinn | Meditation as a Love Affair</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.tenpercent.com/tph/podcast-episode/jon-kabat-zinn-75" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Jon Kabat-Zinn, Creator of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction</a></p> <p><br /></p> <p><strong>Sign up for Dan's weekly newsletter</strong> <a href="https://bit.ly/3QtGRqJ" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>here</strong></a></p> <p><strong>Follow Dan on social:</strong> <a href="https://bit.ly/3tGigG5" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Instagram</strong></a><strong>,</strong> <a href="https://bit.ly/3FOA84J" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>TikTok</strong></a></p> <p><strong>Ten Percent Happier online</strong> <a href="https://bit.ly/46TZglY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>bookstore</strong></a></p> <p><strong>Subscribe to our</strong> <a href="https://bit.ly/3FybRzD" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>YouTube Channel</strong></a></p> <p><strong>Our favorite playlists on:</strong> <a href="https://spoti.fi/3Qa8kMT" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Anxiety</strong></a><strong>,</strong> <a href="https://spoti.fi/3MjtMxF" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Sleep</strong></a><strong>,</strong> <a href="https://spoti.fi/3QvyA5J" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Relationships</strong></a><strong>,</strong> <a href="https://spoti.fi/3QxZASc" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Most Popular Episodes</strong></a></p> <p><br /></p> <p><strong>Full Shownotes:</strong> <a href="https://www.tenpercent.com/tph/podcast-episode/jon-kabat-zinn" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"></a><a href="https://www.tenpercent.com/tph/podcast-episode/jon-kabat-zinn-2024" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.tenpercent.com/tph/podcast-episode/jon-kabat-zinn-2024</a></p>
Actionable Insights
1. Reframe Meditation as Being
Reframe meditation as ‘just being’ or ‘falling awake,’ opening to the actuality of momentary experience without trying to achieve specific outcomes like relaxation or clearing the mind. This approach helps you recognize your inherent awareness rather than striving for something you already possess.
2. Investigate Deep Motivation for Practice
Deeply inquire into your motivation for practice, looking beyond superficial goals like self-improvement or stress reduction to discover a deeper, essential missing element in your life. This helps sustain your practice by connecting it to a profound personal need.
3. Practice Presence with No Agenda
Practice being fully present with no agenda, reveling in being alive and marveling at the actuality of the moment, accepting whatever arises as part of the curriculum. This cultivates a non-judgmental awareness that transforms how you live and relate to others.
4. Translate Practice Off Cushion
Ensure your formal meditation practice translates into daily life, living each moment as if it mattered, showing up fully in all waking moments. This prevents meditation from being a mere burden and integrates awareness into your entire existence.
5. Let Go of ‘Story of Me’
Practice letting go of the limiting narratives and ’the story of me’ that constantly run in your mind, recognizing that these constructs imprison you. This allows access to your boundless awareness and a new dimension of humanity.
6. Meditate in Bed
Consider practicing lying down meditation in bed, perhaps in the corpse pose, to formally attend to the body and awareness without needing to jump out of bed. This encourages waking up fully in the moment you arise.
7. Tune Your Instrument Daily
Begin your day by ’tuning your instrument’ (yourself) with meditation, ideally first thing in the morning, before engaging in daily activities. This makes you more functional and present throughout the day.
Dedicate a formal, consistent time to practice, regardless of whether the experience is pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral, understanding there’s no such thing as a ‘good’ or ‘bad’ meditation. This nurtures your connection to mindfulness and builds discipline.
9. Befriend Breath and Body
For beginners, befriend the breath sensations in the body and bring full awareness to the body sitting in a posture of wakefulness and dignity. This provides a stable anchor for attention and helps cultivate presence.
10. Prioritize Attending Over Object
Recognize that the act of ‘attending’ (awareness) is more important than the specific object of attention (e.g., breath in belly or nostrils). This shifts focus to the quality of presence itself.
11. Investigate Awareness’s Boundlessness
Investigate the nature of awareness by trying to find its center or periphery, realizing it is boundless and spacious, like the universe. This helps you recognize your profound interconnectedness and move beyond self-centeredness.
12. Take Responsibility for Emotions
Take responsibility for your emotional reactions instead of blaming others, recognizing when you ’take the bait’ or personalize situations. This empowers you to respond with clarity and kindness rather than being controlled by reactivity.
13. ‘Die’ to Past and Future
Practice ‘dying’ to the figments of imagination, past memories, future worries, and narratives that constantly create mental noise, to fully wake up to being in the body in this present moment. This prevents you from missing out on life by being lost in thought.
14. Recognize Inherent Wholeness
Recognize that you are already whole and beautiful, including all imperfections, rather than striving to become a ‘better person’ through meditation. This understanding fosters self-acceptance and impacts how you interact with the world.
15. Don’t Attach to Meditation Styles
Don’t get caught up in specific meditation styles, teachers, or traditions, recognizing they are all ‘doors to the same room’ of the human heart and awareness. The devotion should be to awareness itself, not to a particular method.
16. Be Mindfulness Activist
Live with integrity and take deeply informed stands, becoming an ‘activist of mindfulness’ to minimize harm and maximize well-being for all. This extends personal practice to contribute to global governance and peace.
17. Be Aware of Not Knowing
Be aware of how much you don’t know, even when you think you do, and remain open to new insights that can challenge your current understanding. This prevents your existing knowledge from blinding you to new possibilities.